AA issues amber warning on the roads as 17 million motorists are set for their Christmas getaways

An expected 17 million drivers are set to take to the roads on Friday and Saturday, which the AA attribute to the current rail strikes.
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The AA have become the latest organisation to issue an amber warning ahead of Christmas 2022, this time the alert has less to do with the weather conditions and more to do with heavy traffic ahead of the weekend. Many motorists will be taking to the roads this week ahead of Christmas Day, and the Automobile Association has offered advice for what is set to be one of the busiest on the roads in years.

The amber traffic warning has been issued for both Friday (December 23) and Saturday (December 24), as an expected 17 million motorists hit the road after work this week. The company attributed ongoing rail strikes as a catalyst for the higher number of cars on the road this year.

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In particular, the AA has detailed that the M25_motorway">M25, which links to many main routes across England, is expected to have delays with the road set to “carry most of the strain.” In the north, delays are expected to be felt in Cumbria on the M6 interchange with the A69, M62/M60 junctions around Manchester, the A64 between Leeds and York and the M8 surrounding Edinburgh.

The AA has also advised the M4/M5 interchange at Bristol is likely to experience heavy congestion throughout the period as well as the M5 at Exeter, while delays are predicted to take place on the M6 Birmingham area and the M11/A14 junction north of Cambridge.

In the event that driving on these roads is the only option for motorists, the AA predict that the build up of traffic will commence from 10am Friday morning and will continue until 6pm, while on Christmas Eve, they predict traffic to build and delays to be felt between 10am and 4pm.

The recent cold snap has seen a rise in breakdowns for the  roadside assistance firm.  The said: “Pre-travel checks on cars could prevent the many breakdowns roadside assistance companies have seen recently.“These checks include checking screen wash has not frozen, the condition of tyres and faulty wiper blades.”

Key information from the AA’s Amber Traffic Warning

  • Friday (December 23) and Saturday (December 24) expected to see 17 million hit the road
  • M25, M4, M3, M6, M62, A69 and M1 set for queues
  • Interchanges connecting the M25 with the M3, M4, M1, M11, M20 and A1(M) are forecast to experience delays over the two-day period.
  • Delays are expected to be felt in Cumbria on the M6 interchange with the A69, M62/M60 junctions around Manchester, the A64 between Leeds and York and the M8 surrounding Edinburgh.
  • The M4/M5 interchange at Bristol is likely to experience heavy congestion throughout the period as well as the M5 at Exeter, while delays are predicted to take place on the M6 Birmingham area and the M11/A14 junction north of Cambridge.
  • Traffic forecast to build between 10am and 6pm Friday and 10am and 4pm Saturday.
  • Avoidable winter breakdowns show importance of pre-travel checks.

For up to the minute information on the roads, be sure to visit AA’s Roadwatch website, which highlights road congestion alongside roadworks, road closures and incidents.